Archive for the 'Jason Labarbera' Tag Under 'Ducks' Category

EDMONTON, Alberta – Some notes, quotes and other musings from the Ducks’ 4-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night …

-- The season is still 10 games away from the halfway mark but the Ducks are trying to create some separation in the standings. They’ve got a seven-point lead over Vancouver in the Pacific Division (although the Canucks have two games in hand) and they’re 45 points are tops in the NHL.

It doesn’t mean a whole lot right other than it is a much preferable position than looking upward. And the Ducks are still about the big picture even as they go day to day, game to game. Try to get healthy and build their game over the remaining four months.

“You’d like to obviously,” Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said, answering the separation question. “But at the same time, before the game we were eight points ahead of a playoff spot – which is a road trip if you lose yours and other teams gain theirs.”

Boudreau then continued on the same theme, insisting that the West will remain tightly bunched until April 11 – the final day of the regular season. There is a reason why the cliché is that it is a marathon and not a sprint.

Dany Heatley took his first step toward playing again with the Ducks as the club sent the winger to their American Hockey League affiliate in Norfolk (Va.) on a long-term conditioning loan.

Heatley, who signed a one-year, $1-million deal last summer, has played in only four games this season because of persistent groin problems, which he recently required surgery to fix. His last appearance came Nov. 9 against Vancouver.

If all goes well in AHL games against the Springfield Falcons on Friday and Saturday, Heatley will fly up to Toronto on Sunday to meet up with the Ducks as they reach the third stop of their five-game Canada trip.

"It's been weird because it just kind of nags at you," Heatley told Jim Hodges of the Virginian-Pilot on Thursday after his practice with the Admirals. "I felt like I had a good training camp but this has been nagging at me since the end of camp.

ANAHEIM – Frederik Andersen moved beyond a rare bad outing that was among the worst in his brief one-plus year tenure with the Ducks.

Andersen allowed three goals on 10 shots to the Kings before being replaced by backup Jason LaBarbera in the Ducks' eventual 6-5 shootout win. He didn’t seem right from the beginning and Trevor Lewis’ goal past his usual trusty glove hand was the final straw.

“At that point in time, we were playing so well and I really felt bad obviously,” Andersen said. “You just got to try and help the team by staying positive. I think I tried to, the best I could. I know I had a rough day but you have that sometimes.

“The last goal, I don’t remember when I’ve let a goal in like that before. Maybe when I was 15. Sometimes you miss them. You just got to learn from it, I guess.”

ANAHEIM – Some notes, quotes and musings from the Ducks’ 6-5 shootout win over the Kings on Wednesday night …

-- Two massive goals in the third period. A game-high eight hits dished out. A winning margin in the faceoff circle on 27 draws taken. The decisive shootout goal. All of that coming against the reigning Stanley Cup champions.

So that was why Ducks general manager Bob Murray moved heaven and earth to get Ryan Kesler for the playoffs last season and then circled back around to finish the deal with Vancouver at the NHL draft after striking out in March.

It isn’t May and that is where the Ducks really need a performance like that out of Kesler. But this was clearly his best night while wearing the webbed-D logo and a glimpse into why the team coveted him so badly.

For now, Kesler was just glad to end the Ducks’ three-game losing streak – each coming in overtime or in the shootout.

DENVER – Some notes, quotes and other musings from the Ducks’ 3-2 win over Colorado on Sunday night …

-- The Ducks have had some quality goaltending throughout the two-decade history but they’ve had some interesting and surprising situations pop up in recent years.

Who could forget when Jonas Hiller and the vertigo that put a premature end to his breakout 2010-11 season and left the Ducks with reclamation projects Ray Emery and Dan Ellis for the stretch run and the playoffs? And there was 2014 when a pushed-aside Hiller, Frederik Andersen and John Gibson all were called upon in the postseason.

So there’s certainly a precedent when it comes to using a third goalie. Working on two hours of sleep and traveling several hours, Jason LaBarbera was called into action against the Avalanche.

DENVER -- The Ducks turned to journeyman Jason LaBarbera for an emergency start in goal against Colorado as scheduled starter John Gibson hurt himself during the warm-up session before the game Sunday night.

LaBarbera was recalled from the Ducks' American Hockey League affiliate in Norfolk (Va.) on Sunday as Frederik Andersen was not available because of leg tightness that he developed Friday night during the team's 2-1 overtime win over Dallas.

Gibson led the Ducks out for the warm-up but it was LaBarbera who the first out for the tunnel as word began to filter out about Gibson's lower-body injury that took place. LaBarbera arrived in Denver from Norfolk at 11:15 a.m. local time.

The Ducks signed LaBarbera, a one-timer netminder for the Kings, to a one-year deal to provide insurance for both Gibson and Andersen. LaBarbera, 34, made his first appearance in an NHL game since Dec. 12, 2013 when he worked in relief of Devan Dubnyk for Edmonton.

The Ducks made a number of roster moves Wednedsay, sending goalie John Gibson to Norfolk of the American Hockey League and putting on injured reserve winger Pat Maroon and defenseman Bryan Allen.

Gibson is heading down to Norfolk in order to play in two games with the AHL's Admirals this weekend as Frederik Andersen has grabbed an early hold on the starting job with the Ducks. Andersen won all three of his starts on the just completed trip.

Gibson, 21, lost his only start, a 6-4 decision to Pittsburgh in the season opener. He stopped 33 of 39 shots in that defeat. The Ducks are expected to recall him after he plays in the two-game set against Manchester on Friday and Saturday.

Maroon was hurt in Monday's victory over Buffalo and the earliest he'll be able to come off injured reserve is Tuesday. The full extent of his left leg injury will not be determined until he is examined by team doctors late Wednedsay afternoon.

ANAHEIM – The Ducks sent goalie Jason LaBarbera to the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League on Monday after the veteran cleared waivers.

It was an expected move as the Ducks have planned to go with Frederik Andersen and John Gibson as their two netminders. LaBarbera played in just one exhibition game, stopping 19 of 21 shots over 40 minutes in a 5-2 win over Colorado.

Signed by the Ducks as insurance, LaBarbera, 34, has a 60-73-19 record, 2.86 goals-against average and .907 save percentage in 182 NHL games.